


My Heart Is Your Heart

by Omoni



Series: Abovetale [18]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Female!Frisk, Hurt/Comfort, Politics, Power Couple, calming the savage breast, consequences of those actions, defending the one you love, healing is a smol goatdaughter, hospital stays, lots of love, many hugs, public shooting, some violence, uncontrollable rage equals uncontrollable power
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-15
Updated: 2017-03-15
Packaged: 2018-10-05 08:35:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10302494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Omoni/pseuds/Omoni
Summary: Only once, in the entire time that he and Frisk were together, did Asriel lose control of his power.And in return, he almost lost himself.All because some idiot decided that Frisk deserved to die over school zoning bylaws.





	

**Author's Note:**

> When I mentioned, briefly, in one of my short stories in Friskriel100, that Asriel had been on morphine, I realised that I never actually told that story. Well, this is that story. It has my typical brand of near-panic, stupid humans, and, above all, the strength of Asriel and Frisk's relationship shown in times of chaos. This one popped into my head fully-formed, and wouldn't rest until I wrote it. So here it is! I hope this means I can sleep, now...

There was one time - thankfully, only once - that forced Asriel to almost use his full power.

For years, he hadn't. Not since that fateful day, when he fought against Frisk and she'd saved his soul, had he used it. And ever since that day, he vowed never to use it again, not just for her, but for the future she intended to build.

This became even more true the moment his eyes met those of his daughter. He vowed that he would never resort to violence, ever. If he had to fight, he'd use fire and his body to defend, but never, ever, his true power.

But once, only once, did he break the promises he'd made to himself, and use that power. And in return, he almost lost himself.

It was during a routine press conference. He was sitting in the rows with several others as usual, taking notes and scrutinising everyone's reactions to whatever Frisk was saying for future discussion with her, later. Nicky, at this time, was still in school, so luckily, she wasn't there to witness what had happened until much later (and certainly not with her parents' permission).

Frisk was all smiles, as she usually was with press conferences. She liked to smile, regardless of her topic, unless it was serious enough to warrant a serious expression. This one was pretty standard - school zoning that related to both monster and human children - so she was smiling, as it involved her child, too.

In the middle of a sentence, there was a strangly familiar cracking noise, followed by sudden silence from Frisk. Asriel's head shot up, recognising the sound and feeling his blood turn to ice in his veins, just in time to see Frisk's smile vanish and her hand go up to her shoulder, her fingers slowly staining red. She went pale, then dropped out of sight.

And Asriel saw red, redder than the blood that stained his wife's fingers. He dropped everything, getting to his feet, and felt himself lose control - and let it happen. It was too familiar. It felt like it was still too soon. And he would be damned if he let his wife die.

The moment he stood up, the people around him backed away, seeing the expression on his face: his face was pulled into a fang-bearing snarl, his eyes slowly filling with black, and his hands held up and clawed, the tips of his fingers crackling with power. He felt it fill his blood, as if it were replacing his bones, and he looked around, his eyes narrowed and his teeth clenched.

When his eyes landed on the human he instinctively knew was responsible, he held out his hand toward them and snarled. His power curled up and out, forming a large sabre, one he held easily in one hand, his other held to his side and holding a fistful of energy, ready to be loosed at a moment's instant. The gunperson saw him, went pale, and immediately they dropped the gun and held up their hands, terrified. Clearly, they could already feel the tug on their soul, one that Asriel was reaching for, in order to drag them into battle - and then, their death.

Frisk, it should be mentioned, wasn't idle. She had been knocked down quite easily, this was true, as she was still a small person, and a gunshot held a mighty punch - especially when it hit bare, unprotected skin. She was hurt, but she was also in both shock and filled with adrenaline, and the moment she heard Asriel's growl, she knew she had to act, regardless of her own injury. She knew personally what he could do with that power - and how easily he could do it, too.

Which was good, as not only were his actions starting to scare others, but also call attention to himself - especially from the security guards already there. Granted, just looking at him sent them into waves of fear, but one brave - if stupid - one managed to fire two shots at him, both landing. Frisk screamed at that guard to stop, staggering in mid-step in her haste and shock, but Asriel shrugged the pain off and started walking calmly and surely towards the human who had been - just a few moments ago - holding the instrument that would have killed his wife.

Only to suddenly find his wife in front of him, her hands reaching up and grabbing onto his shoulders.

For a moment that seemed like an eternity, he didn't realise she was there, or why he'd stopped. If it had been anyone else, he knew his instincts would have bowled them down. But because it was her, they stayed quiet and didn't move. Even his hold on his sabre loosened, and his other hand wavered.

"Asriel."

It was only then, when he heard her voice, that he looked down and met her gaze. Her eyes, so dark and warm, were strained around the edges with pain, and she was pale. Her hands shook, both bloody, but they held him firm.

"Look at me, love." Her voice was strong and commanding, but held just enough warmth for it to permeate through his rage and panic. He stared at her, his eyes still black, but slowly, his arms lowered back down to his side, his magic fading from his palm.

"Stay with me, okay?" she added, digging her fingers into his shoulders. He focused on that sensation and nodded slowly, finding that the more he concentrated, the easier it was to do so.

"I'm alright," she added. That was harder to believe, especially when he noticed that she was shaking and that blood dripped from her shoulder to the floor, but her eyes were still strong and on his, so he allowed himself to believe at least partially that it was the truth.

Slowly, he breathed, allowing all of his senses to focus on her, his wife, who was still standing and alive. He took in her face, her scent, the way she held him, the sound of her breathing... and he relaxed. The sabre vanished, and he grabbed onto her, holding onto her so tight that she winced, but held him back just as tight.

It was only then that he felt pain, pain he hadn't even noticed before. He inhaled sharply, his eyes flaring, even has the black slowly faded from them. He could feel burning, maddening pain in his side and his shoulder, and even though he tried hard to focus on Frisk, instead, he realised that he was slowly losing the ability to do that.

"Asriel?" Frisk said, her voice fearful and sharp. He clung to her, gritting his teeth and shutting his eyes tight, feeling as though his feet weren't working properly. He tried to speak, but the only sound he made was a groan of pain. "Asriel!" Frisk repeated, this time in urgent panic, and she grabbed hold of him tighter, trying to hold him up as he lost his balance.

Before he lost consciousness, he remembered thinking, _I hope I don't fall on her._

* * *

When he came to, he felt really strange. He felt comfortable and relaxed, and he even felt silly. There was a warm feeling in his belly, one that seemed to spread through his entire body, and he didn't understand it, but he had to admit it was kind of nice.

He listened, not really remembering what had happened until this moment, and heard the sound of weird, tinny beeping, something that really annoyed him and made him want to blow up whatever was making that sound. His hands twitched, and one of them felt heavy lying on his stomach. The other, he realised, was being held, and he gripped tight instinctively, not yet awake enough to recognise the touch but feeling grateful for it all the same.

"Asriel?"

He nodded slowly, the voice sounding loud but welcome. He opened his eyes, finding his vision a little blurry and murky, but when he looked around, he recognised immediately where he was.

And suddenly it all came rushing back.

He jolted, gasping, and tried to sit up, barely rasping out his wife's name before a sudden shock of pain threw him back down on the cot he was on. He winced, blacking out for a moment, before he managed to settle his breathing and open his eyes again. He looked towards the source of the hand-holding and saw his mother there, looking tired and worried, but also relieved. She smiled gently at him, reaching up with her other hand to brush his hair from his forehead gently.

"Frisk?" he repeated, fear making his insides like liquid.

Toriel nodded. "She's alright, my boy. She's in the next room with your father and Nicky, still sleeping. Well, sleeping again." She smiled. "She woke up almost the exact same way you did."

"Safe?" he demanded, feeling himself starting to tremble.

"Very much," she agreed. "It wasn't a bad hit; it only hit the edge of her shoulder, and while it did get stuck, it didn't hurt bone or major muscle. She'll be just fine."

Asriel lay back, closing his eyes and biting down hard on his lip. He nodded again, squeezing Toriel's hand hard and swallowing, trying to keep back his tears of relief.

"Asriel."

He looked over at Toriel again and saw that her expression was very stern. He blinked.

"You did something very, _very_ stupid today." He blushed, looking away, but she wasn't done. "You let your anger rule you and you lashed out with it. You could have killed someone. You almost did. And you didn't even think twice, did you?"

Asriel hesitated, then shook his head. No, he hadn't thought twice at all.

Toriel sighed.

"Frisk," he murmured. "She got shot. It was... too familiar."

"I know," Toriel admitted. "But it wasn't the same situation, my dear. She was okay. Hurt, but okay."

He nodded, his expression falling. "I was so scared, Mom," he whispered, staring at the IV port on his other hand. "I can't lose her."

"I understand that," Toriel said gently. "But, Asriel, _she_ can't lose _you,_ either. And that's what almost happened today."

"What do you mean?" he wondered. "I-I mean, I know I lost control, but I feel fine... sorta... and..."

Toriel held up her hand and he shut up, like he always did when she used that gesture. "You were shot twice, my boy," she explained, her voice still sharp. "Once in your left shoulder, and again in your left side. They were aiming for your head when Frisk intervened."

Asriel stared at her in shock, his mouth going dry.

"And Asriel..." For the first time, Toriel's voice wavered, her expression falling to one of deep grief. "If we'd lost you... again... If Frisk and Nicky had lost you... We would have... we would be..." To his own pain, her eyes filled with tears.

"Mom..." he murmured, reaching for her. She stood up and grabbed him into a hug, one so tight it hurt a little, but he didn't care. He hugged back, feeling tears of his own come to him, and for a moment, they both cried, sharing the same relief and sadness that the truth brought with it.

"Hear me, clearly, Asriel Dreemurr: I will be _damned_ before I scatter your dust again," Toriel snapped out, her voice choked and her fingers digging into his back. "Don't you ever, _ever_ do that to us again, _do you hear me?!"_

"Yes, Mom," he whispered, nodding. He closed his eyes, feeling terrible. He hadn't even realised, hadn't even made that connection, but now that Toriel had made it for him, it was all he could think about. He couldn't do that to his parents, again. He couldn't do that to Frisk or Nicky, either. "I'm so sorry, Mom," he added, the only thing he could think of saying.

"Good," she answered. "You better be. If you are, you'll never forget, and never do that stupid shit, again."

Asriel's eyes snapped open in shock, and he raised his head to look at his mother. She glared back at him, her face tear-streaked and red, her teeth bared. "Mom," he whispered. "You just--,"

"If it makes you listen, I'll swear as much as it takes," she answered, her fingers digging into his shoulders harder. "You're a father, now, Asriel. Would _you_ understand, had your own father taken such a risk?"

Asriel's eyes filled anew at the thought of Asgore doing that. "I... I..." he stammered, unable to answer that.

"And, you're an adult," she added. "You swear far more than I. Where the hell do you think you got it from?!"

Asriel stared at her, then suddenly felt a small bubble rise up in his belly. He smiled, unable to help it, before a small giggle escaped him. Toriel glared at him, but whether it was the medication or the relief, he couldn't clamp it down. Toriel's lips twitched, before she smiled, too - then laughed, a soft, small laugh, but one no less real.

"Asriel," she tried, her voice wavering. "This is serious!" But she ruined it by laughing after, closing her eyes and resting her head on top of his, shaking with her laughter. Asriel burst into harder laughs of his own, covering his face and trying to stop, but he was giddy, now, and couldn't stop.

They were still laughing when there was a sudden shout of, _"Papi!"_ followed by a sudden added embrace on his other side, one that clung onto him hard. He stumbled, as did Toriel, who moved away to give them both room, and suddenly his laughter died down when he looked down and saw Nicky clinging onto his good arm, her face buried into his shoulder, her shoulders shaking. "Papi!" she repeated, her voice wavering.

Asriel leaned down and scooped her up into his arms, and she curled up into his lap and buried her wet face into his good shoulder, now, sobbing. At this time, she was nine, so they had been honest with her about what had happened to both of her parents. Therefore, when she clung to him, he also felt a small fist hit his back, followed by the words, _"You're so stupid, Papi!"_ in a strangled voice.

Asgore stood behind Toriel and placed a hand on her shoulder, and she smiled faintly up at him. "Were you two... laughing?" he wondered softly, looking perplexed. She coughed, covering her mouth, in order to smother more laughter.

"I'm sorry, Nicky," Asriel was saying, rubbing her back gently. "You're right, I'm stupid. I'm very stupid."

"Mami's mad at you!" Nicky answered.

"Uh," Asgore broke in gently. "Nicky, that's not true."

"Yes, it is," Nicky answered, turning around to glare at her ehmmpa angrily, her eyes full of tears. "She said so!"

Asriel was curious, now. "What did she say?"

Nicky turned back to him, her lips quivering. "She said that the moment you both got better, she was going to trap you in the bedroom!"

Asriel stared at her, going scarlet. His eyes moved to his parents slowly, who were both suddenly blushing, too. "Uh," Asriel said slowly. "Did you overhear something your mother was saying to someone else?"

"She was on the phone with Auntie Alphys!" Nicky confirmed. "Why does that matter? She's mad at you! She's going to put you in..." She frowned. "House-arrest!" she concluded, remembering hearing the phrase on TV. "And, good! You're _stupid!"_

Toriel coughed and suddenly left the room. If one listened carefully, they could hear her laughing very, very hard.

* * *

Nicky refused to leave Asriel's lap for a very long time, so her grandparents spent the time getting something to eat (Frisk had still been sleeping when they left). During that time, Dr Thicke came by to visit him - well, them - and give him a progress report.

"Well, Mr Asriel, this is the first time I've ever seen _you_ in here," she said as her way of greeting, her grey eyes hard and her eyebrows raised, glancing at him for a moment before looking at his chart.

Nicky looked up at her for a moment and smiled faintly at her, as she was her own doctor, as well, but she didn't move from her position in her father's lap. She had spent much of the time playing on his phone, narrating her adventures to him while he drifted in and out of drugged dozing. This was safe, as a nurse came by every hour to check his vitals, always waking him, so she was never left to her own adventures - or able to get into trouble.

Asriel was a little sleepy when Dr Thicke came in, and he blinked slowly at her. The entire day was catching up on him, coupled with the copious amounts of pain medicine they kept giving him to keep him comfortable, and he was starting to flag.

"Sorry," was all he could think of to say.

Dr Thicke raised her head at this, then came over and leaned over him, examining him closely in silence. He closed his eyes to it, and Nicky stayed quiet, too, pausing her game and watching closely, curious as well as worried; even she could tell her father wasn't well.

"Well," the doctor said, gently, now. "You were shot twice, as I'm sure you know: once in the shoulder, below your collarbone, and once in the flank, just near your hip. The person shooting you had no intention of killing you, so the wounds aren't as bad as they could have been. You'll be okay, but you need to spend at least two more days here, just to make sure."

"Okay," he muttered. He didn't like that, and wished it were a shorter time-period, but there was little he could do. If anything, it was karma, in his opinion.

Nicky peered up at her doctor. "Can I stay here with Papi the entire time?" she wondered. "He said I make him feel better." Asriel smiled at that, gently placing a hand on the top of her head. It was true.

"I'd love to say yes, Nickname, but no," Dr Thicke sighed. Nicky's face fell, and her bottom lip trembled, but she kept brave and didn't cry. "Your grandparents will be taking you home tonight."

"What about Frisk?" Asriel asked. He suddenly yearned for her, even if it was just for a minute. "When can I see her? Can it be soon?"

To his surprise, the doctor smiled. "You two..." She sighed, but kept the smile. "She's awake right now, and she asked the exact same thing." She flipped through the chart in her hands. "Luckily, she only has to stay the night before she's discharged, because even though her shot was meant to kill, it was done by someone not really good at it, so her wound isn't as bad. However." She grinned, then, surprising him. "I'm going to have her moved in here with you - as long as you promise to _behave."_

Asriel lit up, his eyes widening, any trace of sleepiness leaving him, especially when he felt tears clog up his throat. He nodded so hard his neck hurt and his tears slipped down his cheeks, but he was smiling.

"Papi, oh no!" Nicky cried, sitting up and cupping his face into her hands. "Don't cry! Mami's okay!"

"I know, honey," he replied, kissing her nose. "Sometimes, I cry when I'm very happy."

"Oh." She blinked at this. "Alright."

"In any case," Dr Thicke said with a kind smile. "Once your parents come back and take Nickname home, I'll have Frisk moved in here for the night. She'll be discharged tomorrow afternoon, though."

"That's fine. I want her to get rest," Asriel agreed.

"Okay. See you soon."

When she left, Nicky pouted. "Papi, why can't I sleep here with you and Mami?"

"Because you're not sick, silly," he replied. "And would you really want to sleep here with a bunch of sick people, anyway?"

She made a face. "No, not really."

"Besides, you can spend the night with your grandparents and let them spoil you well past your bedtime. And you don't have to go to school tomorrow, alright?"

Nicky lit up at that. "Okay! That sounds worth it!"

Asriel laughed, hugging her tight, and she giggled - a soothing balm to his hurts, indeed.

* * *

The moment Frisk was wheeled into his room, they both reached for each other, sharing the same expression of urgent need. The moment their beds were side-by-side, they embraced, hard, Asriel bursting into tears and burying his face into her uninjured shoulder, while Frisk held him tight and rubbed his back, her own tears quiet.

The nurses worked around them for a moment, making sure their IVs and monitors were set up properly and without issue, they were left alone.

And to his amusement as well as hurt, Asriel felt Frisk punch his back lightly. "You _stupid..."_ she growled out, her voice choked. "You _careless..._ you _irresponsible..."_ But she could never finish her insults, because each time, she sobbed, and the sound cracked his heart each time. They were small, and hairline, but they still hurt.

"Frisk," he murmured.

 _"What?!"_ she snarled, her face buried into his neck.

"I'm sorry. I just... it was happening all over again. I... couldn't let it happen."

She was silent at that, and the light punching stopped.

"You _idiot,"_ she then whispered, finally concluding her insults at last.

The word seemed to break a dam within both of them, and they cried, holding each other tight, able to ignore their physical pain in order to soothe their emotional.

* * *

That night, they pushed their cots together as close as possible and slept together - not sex, just together and in each other's arms. It took a bit to organise, having to adjust so many wires and tubes - as well as convince Dr Thicke that they wouldn't do anything beyond sleep and that they both really really needed each other's company that night - but once they managed it, it didn't take long for them both to pass out together.

In the middle of the night, Asriel woke up slowly and confused. The room was dark, lit only by small lamps that helped the nurses come in and out and check their status and vitals as they slept, but they were enough to see Frisk, and that's all he cared about. He turned to her carefully, wincing a little from pain, so that he could see her completely. She slept heavily, also on her uninjured side, her hair loose and covering her face. Her IVed hand was on her stomach, but her other hand was reaching out and resting on his bed.

He smiled faintly, reaching out and very lightly brushing the hair from her face with his fingers, tucking it behind her ear. Then he felt better, always happy to see her entire face. She looked tired, even sleeping, and had dark shadows beneath her eyes, her cheeks pale, but the sleep seemed to be helping, especially when she didn't even stir from his touch.

Looking at her, he could easily forget that he'd almost lost her. Focusing on her face, he could allow the images of that attack to face from his mind. And listening to her breathe, he could finally let go of how it felt to hold onto that power and almost let it loose.

"Mm," Frisk suddenly murmured, scaring him so much his hand jolted from her hair. He froze, hoping it was just sleeptalk, but her eyes slowly opened and met his, their colour dark and a little glazed with medication. "Asriel, go to sleep," she concluded, smiling faintly.

Asriel couldn't help but smile back, lowering his hand back to her hair and resuming his strokes of it. She closed her eyes for a moment, reaching up with her own hand to touch his cheek. "I will if you will," he replied softly.

"Why are you even awake, sweetie?" Frisk wondered, her eyes still closed. "It's late, I think. We need to sleep."

"I just woke up is all," he admitted truthfully. "Thinking about you. Thinking about what happened."

Frisk's eyes opened again, her smile fading. She stared at him for a moment, studying him closely, before she said, "What happened to you, Asriel? Why did you lose control so easily?"

Asriel winced a little. "Because... because... the last time that happened, you... you nearly died. And you were pregnant with Nicky..." His eyes closed, and he lowered his head. "I got so angry, Frisk. All I could think was, 'How dare they try to take her away from me again? How dare they try to do this again?'"

"But I'm okay," she murmured. "It wasn't serious. You got hurt worse than I did, Asriel. And that really upsets me. You almost died because of me."

"No!" Asriel protested, his eyes flaring wide. "No, not because of _you!_ Because of that stupid asshole! They had no right, Frisk! They had none at all!"

"True," she agreed gently, her hand on his cheek tender. "But I can't lose you, either." Her face fell, and to his shame, her eyes filled with tears. "If I lost you, Asriel, I would just... I would die, too."

"No," he snarled again. "No! You can't, you can't do that, what about Nicky?!"

Frisk stared at him. "Right, Asriel," she whispered. "What about Nicky? What about _me?"_

Asriel opened his mouth, about to say more - then stopped. Her point suddenly hit hard, and he shut his eyes, gritting his teeth. "Fuck," he sighed.

"Accidents happen," Frisk said softly, her expression softening, though she still wept. "People will want me to die. People will want to hurt me. But you can't put yourself at risk to death when it happens, my love. We have a daughter. And we have a job to do. If - _if_ \- I die in an attack, I need _you_ to keep fighting, for both of us _and_ for our baby."

Asriel sobbed softly, gritting his teeth and closing his eyes again and pushing closer to her, pressing his forehead to hers. But hesitantly, with a heavy heart, he nodded slowly. "You-you're right..." The words tasted bitter, and he hated them, but that made them no less true. "But I fucking hate that you are."

Frisk cupped his face between her hands gently, closing her eyes. "It's okay. Most people are." When he opened his eyes, he saw that she was smiling faintly. He burst into laughter, mixed with sobs, and he reached out and grabbed onto her, pulling her closer to him and burying his face into her shoulder again.

It was, not long after, how they fell asleep.

* * *

When Frisk was discharged the next day, she immediately called her parents and told them to come to the hospital with Nicky. Asriel was initially confused, until Nicky practically ran into the room and hugged onto Frisk hard, bursting into tears at the sight of her mother out of bed. Then he understood: Nicky was a practical kid, and needed to see for herself that her mother was okay before she believed it.

"Mami!" she screamed, something very rare for her; that was usually her cousin Basket's default. "Mami, Mami!" Frisk knelt down and held her close, biting her lip to keep from tearing up in front of her. "Mami, are you coming home?! Are you and Papi coming home?! I demand that you come home, okay?!"

Asriel laughed, so hard he had to put a hand to his side. She sounded so much like Frisk at that moment that it was delightful to him.

Toriel hugged him and kissed him gently, but Asgore hugged him tight, sniffling. It hurt, but Asriel hugged him as hard as he could.

When it came to Asgore, their past was very grim and dark - especially since, once, Asriel confessed everything to him, all of it, including all of the things he'd done to Asgore, himself. Instead of hating him like Asriel expected, Asgore was sad, and held his son for almost an entire hour as they both wept, sharing pain and regret of those years of loneliness and loss. Since then, however, though he never hesitated before then, Asgore was even more affectionate with Asriel, no matter what.

This hug, therefore, was one of his most firm of hugs, and when Asgore started to cry, of course Asriel couldn't hold back, either. "My son," he whispered tearfully. "You look better today."

"Then why are you crying?" Asriel shot back just as tearfully.

Toriel smiled faintly at both of them. They were so alike, really, and when Frisk looked up at her and met her gaze, they were thinking the exact same thing, and they shared that smile.

"Mami, you haven't answered me, yet!" Nicky suddenly growled, glaring up at Frisk with teary eyes.

"I'm coming home today," she agreed gently. "But your papi needs to stay here for a few more days."

Nicky frowned thoughtfully, her eyes narrowing, before she nodded. "Okay," she said finally. "One out of two isn't so bad." Then she kissed Frisk and hugged onto her again hard. Frisk winced, but smiled, kissing her daughter's cheek.

Toriel walked over to her son and husband and touched Asgore's back lightly. "Gorey," she murmured. Asriel's face was hidden in his father's shoulder, and they were both shaking with their tears, but Asgore nodded. "Honey, you need to let our boy go eventually, please."

Asgore sighed, then slowly pulled away, giving his son a kiss on the top of his head before he moved away completely. Asriel lowered his head, trying to hide evidence of his tears from Nicky, but Nicky knew her father well, and instead of reacting poorly to them, she pulled away from Frisk and crawled onto the bed, sitting in his lap again and hugging him tight.

"Papi," she whispered gently, and he hugged her back. "You don't need to hide your crying from me. I already know you're a crybaby!"

He burst out a laugh at that, and it felt very, very good indeed.

* * *

Frisk wanted to stay the last night that Asriel would be in the hospital, but Asriel vetoed it. He knew he'd be fine alone for one night, and Nicky needed her mother at home. In the middle of the night, though, he couldn't sleep, and suddenly rather regretted his decision. He spent the night watching TV, scowling when most of the channels were showing coverage of the shooting, and could only fall asleep when he found an all-cartoon channel to watch.

The next day, his entire family was there when he was discharged, and he felt both shy and rather spoilt, really. But the fact was that they loved him, so much, and had been very scared over what had happened. He was given strict instructions by Dr Thicke, given multiple prescriptions for pain and inflammation, and only then, when he promised to come back in a week, was he finally discharged and allowed to go home.

The moment the door closed behind him and his feet touched the familiar carpet of New Solace, he started to cry. Everything just caught up with him in that precise moment: the fact that Frisk had been shot, that he'd lost control, that he'd almost killed someone, and the fact that Frisk was the only one who'd been able to stop him, despite being hurt, herself.

Toriel was first at his side and gathered him close into a hug. He soon felt Nicky hug his legs, then Frisk hug him from behind. Then, like a warm blanket, Asgore hugged all of them.

"We're okay, my love," Frisk whispered. "We're okay."

And finally, he nodded, believing her at last. He knew there would be more moments like this, moments that would bring them down and force them to face death, moments that would hurt them and test them. But he also knew that they were strong, and would be able to overcome whatever was next.

Because of the people holding onto him. They would always be his anchors, his strength - and his reason for remaining on his feet.

No matter what.

**\--THE END--**


End file.
